This invention, which was made under a contract with the United States Department of Energy, relates to a fire control means and, more particularly, to an improved system which minimizes the hazards and damage resulting from accidental release of liquid sodium from heat transfer components of a nuclear power generator.
It has been demonstrated heretofore that liquid sodium leaking from process equipment can be caught in a container provided with means for blanketing the sodium with inert gas or particulate matter to thereby smother combustion. However, known fire suppressing systems of this type are not entirely satisfactory. For example, in a previously divulged apparatus wherein liquid sodium is caught in a container, considerable ambient air can enter the container to support combustion of the sodium. Furthermore, the amount of sodium that can be handled by known container-type fire control systems is limited.